United Bancorp, Inc. (UBCP): ANSOFF MATRIX [Dec-2025 Updated]

You're looking at United Bancorp, Inc. (UBCP) with an $866.8 million asset base and a clear 2025 target to hit $1.0 billion; honestly, that jump requires more than just business as usual. As someone who has mapped growth for big players, I see four distinct paths laid out here, moving from the safest bet-deepening your existing commercial loan book and pushing that new mobile app-to the most aggressive moves like acquiring a fintech or launching a national high-yield savings product. We need to see how disciplined pricing can lift that 3.66% Q3 Net Interest Margin while funding the $496.5 million loan book, so dig into these four quadrants to see the exact actions United Bancorp, Inc. (UBCP) is planning to make that growth happen.

United Bancorp, Inc. (UBCP) - Ansoff Matrix: Market Penetration

Market Penetration focuses on increasing market share within United Bancorp, Inc. (UBCP)'s existing markets using existing products and services. This strategy relies on deepening relationships with current clients and attracting competitors' clients within the established geographic footprint of eighteen banking offices across Ohio Counties-Athens, Belmont, Carroll, Fairfield, Harrison, Jefferson, and Tuscarawas-and Marshall County in West Virginia.

The foundation for this strategy is the current balance sheet structure as of the third quarter of 2025, which shows total assets at $866.8 million and total deposits at $645.2 million. The loan book is heavily weighted toward commercial activity, which is a key area for penetration efforts.

The following actions detail the market penetration initiatives:

• Increase commercial loan portfolio, which is already 80% of total loans, by targeting top-tier existing clients.
• Drive adoption of the new mobile banking app to increase digital transaction volume and reduce branch operating costs.
• Offer existing retail customers a bundled product discount for opening a wealth management account.
• Run a deposit campaign in current Ohio and West Virginia counties to fund the $496.5 million gross loan portfolio growth.
• Improve net interest margin (NIM) beyond the Q3 2025 level of 3.66% through disciplined loan pricing.

Focusing on the deposit base is critical to funding loan demand, especially as the gross loan portfolio stood at $496.5 million as of September 30, 2025. The current deposit mix shows strength in low-cost funding, with noninterest-bearing demand deposits reaching $156.3 million, an 8.5% year-over-year increase. Disciplined management of funding costs, evidenced by interest expense as a percentage of average assets at 1.80% in Q3 2025, supports NIM expansion goals. The Q3 2025 Net Interest Margin (NIM) was 3.66%, which United Bancorp, Inc. aims to surpass through disciplined loan pricing.

Commercial loan penetration targets the core business. The commercial loan portfolio represents approximately 80% of the total loan book. Deepening relationships here means maximizing wallet share from the existing, proven client base.

For retail customers, cross-selling wealth management services is a direct penetration play. This leverages the existing customer relationship established through retail banking products like checking and savings accounts. The goal is to increase the share of customer assets under management within the current customer base.

United Bancorp, Inc. (UBCP) - Ansoff Matrix: Market Development

You're looking at how United Bancorp, Inc. (UBCP) plans to grow by taking its existing services into new geographic areas or new customer segments. This Market Development quadrant is about expansion outside the current footprint, which is crucial when the near-term goal is clear: pushing total assets past the $1.0 billion mark from the current $866.8 million as of September 30, 2025.

Here's a quick look at where United Bancorp, Inc. (UBCP) stood at the end of the third quarter of 2025, which sets the stage for this expansion:

Complete the new Wheeling Banking Center construction to solidify the presence in the Northern West Virginia market.

The development and construction of the new regional banking center in Wheeling, West Virginia, is a major step to solidify presence in the Northern West Virginia market. As of the August 6, 2025 report, construction on this new regional banking center was advancing, scheduled to open within 90 days. This facility, located on National Road in Woodsdale, will have more than 8,000 square feet of space. This location will be the second banking center in West Virginia, following the Moundsville location opened in 2020, as the other 17 locations are in Ohio. Even before opening, business development efforts tied to this office already contributed to loan growth. Furthermore, the Unified Center property acquisition in St. Clairsville, Ohio, which will house Accounting, IT, and Customer Sales and Service Functions, is expected to become operational in early 2026.

Pursue strategic, in-market acquisitions to accelerate the goal of reaching $1.0 billion in total assets.

With total assets at $866.8 million as of September 30, 2025, United Bancorp, Inc. (UBCP) is actively pursuing growth to reach its long-standing goal of $1.0 billion in assets. In-market acquisitions are a recognized path for this acceleration, similar to past moves like acquiring The First National Bank of Jackson in 2017 and The Peoples Bank Company in 2020, which expanded the Ohio footprint. The focus here is on deals that integrate well within the existing service area across Ohio and West Virginia.

Open a de novo branch in an underserved, contiguous Ohio county not currently served by the 18 banking centers.

United Bancorp, Inc. (UBCP) currently operates through 18 banking centers serving specific counties in Ohio (Athens, Belmont, Carroll, Fairfield, Harrison, Jefferson, Tuscarawas) and Marshall County in West Virginia. The strategy involves identifying an adjacent Ohio county that is currently underserved by the existing network to establish a de novo (newly chartered) branch. This action directly expands the physical market reach using existing chartering capabilities within contiguous areas.

Launch a digital-only commercial lending portal to reach small businesses just outside the current service area.

• Target small businesses located outside the current geographic footprint.
• Use a digital-only portal for commercial lending origination.
• Focus on leveraging the existing strong commercial loan portfolio base.
• Enhance operating leverage through technology investment.

Target public agency deposits in new municipalities, leveraging the bank's defintely strong community focus.

This initiative aims to capture non-interest-bearing demand balances, which saw a year-over-year increase of $12.3 million, or 8.5%, to reach $156.3 million as of September 30, 2025. The strategy is to use the bank's established community focus to build relationships and secure deposits from public agencies in municipalities adjacent to, but not yet fully served by, the current network. This is a market development play focused on a specific, stable deposit segment.

Finance: draft 13-week cash view by Friday.

United Bancorp, Inc. (UBCP) - Ansoff Matrix: Product Development

You're looking at how United Bancorp, Inc. (UBCP) can push new offerings into its existing customer base, which is the Product Development quadrant of the Ansoff Matrix. This means leveraging the current footprint, which includes eighteen banking offices serving Ohio and West Virginia counties, to drive higher revenue per client.

For commercial clients, the focus is on scaling fee initiatives. Noninterest income for the second quarter of 2025 was $1.389M, representing a year-over-year increase of 17.34%. Introducing a specialized treasury management suite is designed to capture more of that fee growth. This builds on the existing momentum, as management noted the scaling of Treasury Management Programs as a key strategic investment.

To serve the top-tier retail segment, developing a high-net-worth advisory service enhances current wealth management efforts. While specific wealth management revenue is not detailed, the bank's overall financial health supports this expansion, with diluted EPS reaching $0.34 in the third quarter of 2025 and nine-month net income at $5.717M.

Deposits are a key area for new product introduction. Total deposits reached $642.9M as of the second quarter of 2025, up $19.8M year-over-year, but the mix shifted toward higher-cost time deposits. Creating a new, tiered Certificate of Deposit (CD) product with a premium rate specifically targeting deposits over $250,000 aims to manage this mix shift by attracting larger, potentially stickier, funding sources.

Capitalizing on relationships with local public agencies is the angle for offering a proprietary municipal bond fund. This is a product play within the existing market. The bank's gross loans surpassed $500.7M in the second quarter of 2025, showing loan asset growth that could be supported by new, specialized investment products.

The digital roadmap includes integrating AI-driven financial planning tools into the mobile app for all retail customers. This technology push supports cross-selling opportunities. The bank's total assets stood at $847.9M in the second quarter of 2025, providing a substantial base for digital adoption.

Here's a quick look at the recent financial context supporting these product growth vectors:

The focus on digital enhancement is tied to the overall technology investment strategy. The bank is actively scaling its Unified Mortgage Division and Treasury Management, which are fee-based revenue drivers, alongside the digital/AI roadmap.

• Fee initiatives are scaling, supporting noninterest income growth.
• The regular quarterly dividend increased to $0.1875 for Q3 2025.
• The Q1 2025 special dividend paid was $0.1750 per common share.
• Net Interest Margin reached 3.65% in Q2 2025.
• Gross loans reached $500.7M in Q2 2025.

The proposed CD product targets deposits over $250,000, a segment that influences the overall deposit mix. Also, the bank's forward yield projection was 5.4% based on the Q4 dividend declaration at a market value of $13.98.

Finance: draft 13-week cash view by Friday.

United Bancorp, Inc. (UBCP) - Ansoff Matrix: Diversification

You're looking at growth beyond the current regional footprint, which currently has total assets of $866.8 million as of September 30, 2025, and gross loans totaling $496.5 million. The core business is showing solid, albeit regional, performance, with net interest income for the first nine months of 2025 reaching $19.57 million, improving the net interest margin to 3.66%. Still, relying on the existing deposit base, which saw noninterest bearing demand balances grow by 8.5% year-over-year to $156.3 million, suggests a need to look outside the current service area for lower-cost funding.

Here are the numbers grounding the current operational base before considering these diversification moves:

Acquire a small, non-bank financial technology (fintech) company to gain a new, non-traditional revenue stream.

This move targets a revenue source outside the traditional Net Interest Income (NII) of $6.73 million reported for Q3 2025. A small fintech acquisition could immediately impact noninterest income, which for United Bankshares, Inc. (a different entity, but for context) saw an increase driven by brokerage services fees of $1.4 million in Q3 2025. United Bancorp, Inc. (UBCP) is currently valued with a Market Cap of $73.1 M.

Launch a national, digital-only high-yield savings product to attract low-cost deposits outside the regional footprint.

This directly addresses the funding side, aiming to supplement the existing $156.3 million in noninterest bearing demand balances. The current interest expense to average assets stands at 1.80%. A national digital product could potentially lower the marginal cost of funds compared to the current regional deposit structure.

Establish a dedicated specialty lending division, such as healthcare or agricultural finance, in a new state.

This diversifies the loan portfolio away from the existing concentration, which is currently supported by gross loans of $496.5 million. The credit quality remains tight, with net loans charged off at only (0.04%) annualized for the first nine months of 2025. Expanding into a new state requires capital allocation beyond the current nine-month net income of $5.717 million.

Invest in a minority stake in an insurance brokerage to cross-sell property and casualty policies to commercial borrowers.

This leverages the existing commercial lending base, which contributes to the $496.5 million gross loan portfolio. The strategy aims to boost noninterest income, similar to how fees from brokerage services contributed to a $43.2 million noninterest income quarter for a peer entity in Q3 2025.

Enter the equipment leasing market with a new subsidiary to diversify the loan portfolio away from real estate.

Equipment leasing offers an asset class distinct from the current loan mix. The company has shown a commitment to shareholder returns, paying a total of $0.73 per share in dividends year-to-date in 2025, an 8.2% increase over the prior year period. New subsidiary investment must be weighed against maintaining this dividend growth trajectory.

• Q3 2025 Regular Dividend Rate: $0.1875 per share.
• Estimated Fair Value Price: $14.00.
• Total Assets: $866.8 million.
• Noninterest Bearing Balances: $156.3 million.
• Total Interest Income (9M 2025): $39.5 million (last year's figure for context).

Finance: draft 13-week cash view by Friday.